Spas

Finishing Touches

Outdoor Living

January, 2018

now browsing by month

With staycations on the rise, it's no surprise that an increasing number of us are choosing to explore the many resort-style outdoor living options the outdoor living design professionals can create right in the comfort of our own backyards. Depending on the architecture of your home and the ambiance you want to create, any one of these Tampa Bay outdoor living trends will be sure to help you create the outdoor space you have always dreamed.

Open Air Living Rooms

Requiring no walls and only as much shade as you like, your open air living room will provide you with a cozy front row view to mother nature. Your open air living room can incorporate any number of features you want, including:

Plush outdoor furniture: From woven wicker to sleek metal frames, choose furniture that is crafted from durable materials and that is comfortable

Lighting: Lighting is critical for keeping your open air living room safe, but don't forget to add some accent lighting to add excitement and to highlight key areas of your Tampa Bay outdoor living space

Decorative flooring: Consider incorporating stained, stamped or stenciled concrete decking and walkways in and around your living area. You can enhance the room's visual interest by placing down a weatherproof rug

Fire Features

Another great option to incorporate into your outdoor living space (or into your open air living room) is a fire feature. A hearth or fireplace is a classic choice, while fire tables, fire bowls and cauldrons will add flair and aesthetic excitement to your Brandon backyard once the sun goes down.

Meditation and Yoga Gardens

Design an outdoor living space that will evoke a sense of peace and tranquility by creating your very own meditation and yoga garden. Pick a spot that is quiet, that offers a view, and then start incorporating items like water features (the sound of running water is sure to soothe away any stress), air cleansing plants and shading.

Eco-Friendly Landscaping

Expect to also see an increase in water and energy saving outdoor living spaces. There will be a major upswing in eco-friendly landscaping ideas this year, too, where plants and flowers that are native to our local environment will be in greater demand than ever!

Synthetic Materials

Keeping plants lush and green during the hotter spring and summer months can be a challenge, which is why we expect to see an increase in synthetic backyard landscaping materials used this year. Artificial turf, stones, and plants can naturally add elegance and freshness to any Tampa Bay outdoor living space.

Tampa Bay Pools is your destination for the ultimate backyard. No matter your style, we can design and build the backyard of your dreams. From swimming pools to decks, patios, and outdoor kitchens, we can transform your backyard into your favorite living space, whether indoors or out.

Start building your idyllic Brandon outdoor living space today by giving us a call at (813) 684-3639.

About Tampa Bay Pools

Tampa Bay Pools is a custom pool builder serving Tampa Bay, Brandon, Clearwater, and St. Petersburg areas, who understands the importance and value of your own backyard escape. That’s why we build spectacular new inground swimming pools that are easy to maintain.

It’s a new year and, for many, that means a new resolve to get in shape and start living a healthier lifestyle. And for a low-impact routine that packs a big punch, you can't go wrong with swimming pool exercises. One of the common swimming pool exercises is pool walking. This is an easy and effective water activity that requires absolutely no swimming skills or equipment – just you, your pool, and maybe some music to keep you going! When performed in waist-deep water, pool walking combines the cardiovascular effort of aerobics, the toning of weight training, and the enhanced flexibility gained through yoga.

Fact: Due to viscosity, drag forces and frontal resistance, water provides a resistance which is proportional to the effort exerted against it. Resistance in water ranges between 4 and 42 times greater than in air – depending on the speed of movement.

This means that you will be burning more calories in the pool than on land!

Benefits of Swimming Pool Fitness

Water is a natural and instantly adjustable weight training machine, providing resistance in all directions to tone and strengthen the muscles. Because of this, walking in the swimming pool promotes balance in muscle development in addition to the cardiovascular benefits.

Water workouts effectively burn fat and strengthen the abdominal muscles. This is the result of your body stabilizing itself while maintaining balance as it reacts to the buoyancy of the water around you. The movements are low impact and joint friendly, helping you prevent injuries as well as heal them.

In water, resistance determines your intensity. You are in charge! Go at your own pace – set your own intensity level by incorporating speed, force, or surface area. Adding arm movements under the water will add to the challenge since the arms have to work to propel you through the water; by increasing speed, you increase the intensity of the workout.

Walking in the swimming pool is an easy and fun exercise that can be performed at your own pace and intensity. It is a fun, simple activity that is great for almost any fitness level and those whose swimming skills may be less than par, or anyone else who wants a change-of-pace workout!

Tampa Swimming Pool Fitness Tips

We've gathered a few tips to help you get the most out of your pool walking workout.

Switch up your speed and intensity at random intervals to get the most out of your pool walking workout. You may not be able to keep up high-intensity spurts for long, but keep working them in. This gives your heart and your muscles a better workout and studies show that this kind of interval training can stimulate your body to burn fat even after your workout!

Consider wearing a baggy t-shirt or shorts to create additional drag. This will give you a better workout.

Make sure you maintain an active pace that keeps your heart rate up. But if you're not able to carry on a conversation, you may be pushing yourself too hard. Ease up a little until you feel an improvement in your breathing.

Once you feel the pool walk is getting easier, it's time to pick up the pace or bring in some extra resistance. Try incorporating water weights for an added boost to your routine. If you don't have any water weights, just fill an empty carton of milk with water until it's the right weight for you. Pump your arms in the water while holding these weights and walking to increase the challenge.

If you are looking for a simple, yet effective exercise that’s easy on the joints and good for nearly any fitness level, then pool walking is for you. The healthier lifestyle you want could be as easy as getting in the swimming pool. That’s especially true if you have one right in your backyard.

There are so many benefits to owning a pool, from fitness to fun and family memories. Contact us today to get started!

About Tampa Bay Pools

Tampa Bay Pools is a custom pool builder serving Tampa Bay, Brandon, Clearwater, and St. Petersburg areas, who understands the importance and value of your own backyard escape. That’s why we build spectacular new inground swimming pools that are easy to maintain.

Free E-Book Download

Free E-Book Download

Hear From Our Clients

Hear From Our Clients

Chris & Erin Grassmuck I just wanted to pass along my thanks to you and your team. I had tried to get several pool companies out to look at our pool. No one would come out, and a few wouldn't even return phone calls. This was extremely frustrating.Your repair man was very ...

Last Thursday, I was put in contact with Ken McKenna of Tampa Bay Pools. We agreed to a very favorable upgrade of the pool surface that would delight the two of us. In one week, all the work was completed, with Ken keeping me informed on a daily ...

It has been a pleasure to do business with you and Tampa Bay Pools. For the past 13 years, you and your company have proven to be dependable, and the products used are of first rate quality.As a custom home builder, I work in very closely with my ...

Tampa Bay Pools, Ken McKenna and staff have done an excellent job of handling Suarez Housing Corporation account. Our pool construction is handled in a professional manner with on-time construction and follow-up service. Ken has been more than helpful in handling repairs needed on pools built by previous ...

I wanted to take a moment and thank you, Linda and your superior staff for providing our customers with not just a great pool, but a wonderful experience. Working with you and your staff for the past seven years has been a very rewarding experience.My staff and our ...

I just wanted to express my sincere gratitude with your generosity and professionalism in the completion of my pool. I am so happy to say that you are truly a man of your word. Everything you said would happened did happen. The pool was completed in the time ...

I would like to take the opportunity to tell you how happy we are with you and Tampa Bay Pools. The pool is absolutely beautiful and everything we've ever wanted. You turned our dream into a reality, and I can't thank you enough for helping us.After experiencing our ...

Your company did an outstanding job in getting our pool done. We love the pool and everyone that visits us knows Tampa Bay Pools put it in. You provided information that walked us through the process, and your staff was very helpful henever we call. Thank you very ...

Darla and I researched pool contractors for three months before choosing a builder. We interviewed pool supply stores and visited nearly every model home in the Tampa area. We asked for honest and dependable pool builders. Tampa Bay Pools was highly recommended by many.Next we asked numerous pool ...

We wanted to take a moment to share with you our experience with some of your representatives. Tim Sherrone was our project manager, and from the first meeting, we established an excellent rapport with him. We were extremely impressed with his work ethic and attention to detail. Tim ...